Angela Davis the Dance Dance Revolutionary

As I saw the link to DancedanceRevolutionary.com my mind wandered to the game Dance Dance revolution. Could the url be an allusion to the game? I dismissed it as pure coincidence. The site was supposed to be about an activist not a dancing game. However, I soon discovered after clicking on the url, I was closer to the truth than I thought. There it was on my laptop, the famous pink and blue arrows and the logo of the dancing girl. While I was at the link page, scanning over useful links to write my comment on, I saw the links for “Angela” and “Sweet Black Angel.” It instantly remind me the first sound project. At the time these songs were made, they were part of mainstream culture like DDR is now part of mainstream culture. I began to question to myself why pop culture relates to Angela Davis and is used to describe her.

Angela is an activist and was an activist ever since she was little. She took risks in her life such as being a member in the Communist Party at a very sensitive time in the United States. This caused her being removed from her job as a teacher, and “placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list on false charges.”(http://humwww.ucsc.edu/HistCon/faculty_davis.htm) She was then incarcerated but a massive campaign to free her from prison resulted in her acquittal in 1972. Since then, she has been fighting various forms of oppression and preaching such topics as the abolishment of prisons. She also published five books and had essays in several journals and anthologies.

After finish reading the article, I began to slowly understand the parallels between DDR, the songs, and Angela Davis. DDR is a game of music and music has the power to preach. Songs can give the same power as speech. These things being part of mainstream culture, give a glimpse of the consciousness and ideology of the people. It is a part of freedom to express one’s belief and many do it in song. They, the dancers and the singers, are just like Angela Davis in being an activist.

Dance Dance Revolution even has some songs of activism and revolution in the game itself. The song “Drop the Bomb” off of DDR preaches about the error people make using weapons for war.

“Getting sick and tired of the fossil-like system
Now or never it’s the time to resist ‘em….
Explosives are not what it takes
You know, terrorists always make these mistakes”

Other political songs off the game include End of the Century, and Ninzaburo.

Dancing, Music and speech are all symbolic of freedom. I believe Angela Davis would approve of it all. Besides if you can’t dance, you shouldn’t be in the revolution.

Lyrics to End of the Century
End of the century
Misery, can it be chaos who's the boss
Suffer a great loss
Man woman child
No longer exist
Only the good ones will be missed
Life love cherish it all
Who will be left to conquer
The end is coming
Don't start running
There's nowhere to run
Don't grab a gun
All over the land her this roar
No one know what's in store
Look for the star, he's on his way
No one knows what's in store
Love your self and all around
In a blink of an eyes
You won't hear a sound
Your heart is pounding at raided speed
Man will always feel the need for greed
Let's go for it
Now you can't miss
Al-Though-This-Was-The-Be-Gining
Beware because the end is here
The sky is falling
Eyes are balling
You had your chance
To make your stance
Love is a must life don't lust
Not time to fuss
People start to cuss
cry out who's going to care
Have no doubt have no fear
Believe in me I'll show you the way
Some people think the year 2G is so scaring, let wait and see
The world will shot down most won't admit
People go crazy people catch fits
Fire breaks out
One way to stop
Play hip hop non stop stop
Remember these words
And what I said
You just might wake up brain dead
The feeling (feeling)
Is amazing (amazing)
Oh boy, I want you (come on and get me)
Some just say the world is changing
Many people will agree
Many changes we are seeing
I just say...
It's the end...
It's the end...
It's the end of the century

Lyrics to Ninzaburo
Don't do the crime...
Don't do the crime...
...if you can't do the time
Don't do the crime if you can't do the time
Don't do the crime if you can't do the time
Feel the heat, the vibrations
On the streets, lil' situations
From the grave, complications
A part of people livin' life
But it's slowing in the fast lane
Life is ghettoy chaos
Dust me, I've seen too many bloodstains
Too many childs put in graves
So c'mon people, see what's high
I'll set it off like the sky
Keep it real or leave it lie
Let a part of your voice survive
This is your life, no cute game
List of what people say with pay
So pump your fists, yeah!
Don't do the crime if you can't do the time (Yeah!)
Don't do the crime if you can't do the time

Lyrics to Drop the Bomb
Sorry but could I have the music louder?
Yeah drop the bomb! Just drop the bomb!
Getting sick and tired of the fossil-like system,
now or never it's the time to resist 'em,
it's easy to blast them all away,
pull a trigger push a button say ADIOS today,
don't get me wrong I'm a pacifist,
the mind can do more than the fist.
Explosives are not what it takes
(you know, terrorists always make these mistakes,)
what we gotta do is build momentum,
if you need the right tools invent 'em,
ride the wave of time come feel the rhythm,
the march to the future has begun get with'em,
the brain is the generator of almighty power
either do it now or your master plan goes sour.
Yeah! are you ready to take that fall?
It's up to you to make that call to drop the bomb!
Yeah drop the bomb! Just drop the bomb! Let me see that bomb!
Just...
Learn from the sunken mu Atlantis
and from the head of the beheaded male-praying mantis,
we've all gotta make room for whats to come,
what we gotta do is build momentum,
if you need th right tool invent' em,
ride the wave of time come feel the rhythm,
the march to the future has begun get with'em,
the brain is the generator of almighty power
either do it now or your master plan goes sour.
Yeah! Are you ready to take that fall?
It's up to you to make that call...
(And if it don't work then make the real thing wipe it out)
So drop the bomb!
Yeah drop the bomb! Just drop the bomb! Let me see that bomb!
That bomb!
That bomb!
That bomb!

Sources Cited:
http://humwww.ucsc.edu/HistCon/faculty_davis.htm
Lyrics from http://www.animelyrics.com/game/_D